My Top 10 Minis Of All Time

Last week over at the Oldhammer Facebook group, Juck Vaughan posed this very succinct question:

"What are your top ten pieces of all time?"

The question generated quite a bit of interest, with plenty of suggestions. I myself waded in with a list of 10 miniatures of my personal favourites. Think about the implications of the question though - is it really possible to select just 10 figures? Imagine that you are being forced by your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend, partner or significant other to sell your entire collection of figures. You have been granted a small concession and can keep, trade or buy just 10 figures which are representative of your time in the hobby.

Your decision-making process would probably consider a range of factors; perhaps overall aesthics, fond memories, character or quality of sculpt.

I came up with my top 10 in the space of the 3-4 minutes it took to write my Facebook post. In the intervening week, I've had chance to think again and reconsider...and to be honest, I'm pretty happy with the selection. While there are perhaps one or two figures I could drop in for others, I think I'll stick with my gut reaction! The figures are all Citadel, because that's what I know and enjoy. In no particular order:

Jhary a-Conel (Jes Goodwin, Eternal Champions, 1987) 

I'm a latecomer to the Eternal Champions range, only discovering them in the last 12 months, however Jes Goodwin's Jhary sculpt is a perfect realisation of the character and incredibly finely sculpted. It's noticable that Jes' figures have become more chunky since.

Slannesh Champion of Chaos (Jes Goodwin, Warhammer, 1989)

The Chaos Champions range from 1989 are wonderful, and this Slannesh champion is the pick of the crop - delicate and imposing at the same time and packed full of character and gorgeous details.

 

Chaos Beastman (Jes Goodwin, Warhammer, 1989?)

Yet another Jes Goodwin sculpt - this figure brilliantly shows off the bestial and warped nature of chaos beastmen without resorting to just being a goatman.

 

Piscean Warrior (??, Rogue Trader, 1987)

In the early 2000s, I bought this Piscean warrior purely on a whim. It resurrected my interest in classic Citadel figures and completely changed the direction of my collecting habit; I lost interest in large, new, shiny armies, and instead started buying up old lead. Not to mention it's a fabulous figure in its own right!

 



Elf Kicker (Jes Goodwin, Blood Bowl, 1988)

It's an Elf, by Jes Goodwin, so it must be good. Oh, and it's in a dynamic sporting pose for my favourite game. It's got 'winner' written all over it!

 

Skaven Thrower (Jes Goodwin, Blood Bowl, 1988)

See above, but replace "Elf" with "Ratman"!

 

Eldar Trader (Aly Morrison, Rogue Trader, 1988)

This Eldar trader just oozes arrogance. The pose is all the better for being entirely non-combatant. I wish Citadel has released more figures in this vein.

 

Genestealer Magus (Jes Goodwin, Rogue Trader, 1990?)

Yet again, Jes' design is flawless. I love the contrast between the imposing headgear and tattered hem of his robe. It's wishful thinking, but maybe one day Jes will sculpt a female magus based on his sketch in the original Space Hulk rulebook?

 

Beast Trooper Gaxt (??, Rogue Trader, 1988)

Abhumans as they should be - not tacked on to a chaos army, but part and parcel of the Imperium

 

Eldar Howling Banshee (Jes Goodwin, Rogue Trader, 1990)

And finally, the model that really started a 20+ year love affair with Eldar. My first ever conversion was based on this model (I swapped the torso with that of an Eldar Guardian, having cut them both in half with nail scissors!). I am yet to see another Eldar model that captures the grace, elegance and poise quite as much as this one.

So, that's my top ten*. Interestingly, all of the models fall within a very tight timeframe of just 3 years, correlating to the period when I started gaming. You'll also note that 70% of my selection are Jes Goodwin sculpts (no surprise as he's my favourite sculptor). Elves are also pretty well represented, and I have chosen several aliens and very few humans...a similar pattern that's been reflected in my army / warband / team choices over the years.

*when I posted my list on Facebook, somehow I managed to choose a top '11' figures. Poor old Space Slann Commander Xix ended up being dropped out of the final selection.

So then...what are your top 10?